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NSW Climate Change Council

About the NSW Climate Change Council

The NSW Climate Change Council was established by the Minister on 10 March 2008 to provide independent, expert advice on climate change related issues from range of sectors including business, industry, science and research, environment and regional communities.

The Council meets regularly to advise the Office of Environment and Heritage on matters relevant to the NSW Government's response to climate change and to facilitate interaction between the OEH and community and industry leaders on the development of climate change policy initiatives and activities.

NSW Climate Change Council members' biographies

Martijn Wilder, NSW Climate Change Council Chairperson

Partner, Baker & McKenzie

Martijn Wilder heads Baker & McKenzie's Global Environmental Markets Practice and is regarded as one of the leading legal advisors in the world, having worked in the area for over 10 years.  With a global base of clientele, Mr Wilder advises governments and international agencies on the development of climate change policy and emissions trading laws.  Mr Wilder is Chair of the NSW Climate Change Council, Director of the Australian Carbon Trust, Adjunct Professor of Climate Change Law and Policy at the Australian National University, Chair of the NSW Government's Carbon Trading Hub Taskforce, Chair of the International Emissions Trading Association's Australian Emissions Trading Working Group and a Governor of the World Wildlife Fund.  He sits on the advisory board of the Voluntary Carbon Scheme, Agriculture, Forestry and other Land Use Standard, on the Governing Board of the UK Government's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership, on the Strategic Council of the Climate Institute and on the Board of the National Trust (NSW).

Mr Wilder has completed Honours degrees in Economics (Sydney) and Law (Australian National University) and was a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Scholar.  He obtained a Master of Law (LL.M.) degree from Cambridge University.

Maria Atkinson

Global Head of Sustainability, Lend Lease Corporation

A Life Fellow, co-founder and founding Chief Executive Officer of the Green Building Council of Australia, Maria Atkinson is a member of the Australian Building Codes Board, the City of Sydney Design Advisory Panel and the Federal Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Stakeholder Group.  Internationally recognised, Ms Atkinson is also Chair of the United Nations Environment Programme Sustainable Buildings & Climate Initiative, Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on the Future of Sustainable Construction, and a member of the Singapore Building and Construction Authority's International Panel of Experts for Sustainability in the Built Environment.

Ms Atkinson is a strong advocate for a simple, cost-effective way of enabling accurate benchmarking and reporting of carbon emissions in the non-residential building sector, and advocates the use of a direct price on carbon to drive long-lasting, fast emissions reductions across the sector.

Greg Bourne

Former Chief Executive Officer, World Wildlife Fund Australia and former regional President, BP Australasia

Greg Bourne studied chemistry at the University of Western Australia under a scholarship from BP Refinery, Kwinana.  After graduating with honours in 1971, he worked for BP in the United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada, Ireland, Brazil, China and Australia.  Mr Bourne retired from BP in September 2003 and served as Chief Executive Officer of the World Wildlife Fund Australia from October 2004 until June 2010.

Mr Bourne is the Chair of the National Council on Education for Sustainability, Chair of the Commonwealth Environmental Research Facilities reference group and a member of the Commonwealth Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Adaptation Stakeholder Group.  He was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to the environment and an honorary doctorate from the University of Western Australia for services to international business.

John Connor

Chief Executive Officer, The Climate Institute

John Connor initially trained as a lawyer and worked as a research assistant for a judge in the Land and Environment Court of NSW.  As an employee of World Vision, Mr Connor co-convened the Make Poverty History campaign.

Mr Connor joined the Climate Institute as Chief Executive Officer in March 2007.  Since then, Mr Connor has overseen the release of a series of reports on Australia's climate change response, including an economic model of ways in which Australia can reduce emissions and maintain a growing economy, a report containing up-to-date evidence on Australia's greenhouse pollution profile and an analysis of community opinions on climate change and climate change solutions.

Diana Gibbs

Former Chair NSW Regional Communities Council

Diana Gibbs is a consultant economist with academic qualifications in both agricultural economics and environmental economics.  As well as being a partner in a mixed farming enterprise, Ms Gibbs consults with regional communities and industries on future development planning.

Ms Gibbs is a Director of Riverina Wool Growers (a grower-owned wool marketing group), and has previously served as Chair of the NSW Regional Communities Consultative Council, and as a Director of the Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Corporation.  She is currently the independent member of the Governance Committee for the NSW Water Loss Management Program.

Sam Mostyn

Director, Institute for Sustainable Solutions, University of Sydney

Sam Mostyn has worked across the private, public and non-government sectors in a variety of industries including legal affairs, telecommunications, financial services, sport, science and the arts, as well as being an adviser to former Prime Minister Paul Keating. 

Since leaving Insurance Australia Group in late 2008, Ms Mostyn has been advising leading organisations and their leaders on integrating sustainability principles into strategy, business planning and organisational culture.  She currently serves on the boards of Reconciliation Australia, the Sydney Theatre Company, Australian Volunteers International and the NSW Foundation for Public Education.  Ms Mostyn was recently appointed as Director of the Institute for Sustainable Solutions at the University of Sydney and President of the Australian Museum Trust.

As well as being a member of the NSW Climate Change Council, Ms Mostyn is a member of the Queensland Climate Change Council and chairs the Stakeholder Council of the CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship.  She is also a member of the Chief of Defence Force's Women's Reference Panel.

Commissioner Greg Mullins

Commissioner, NSW Fire Brigades

Greg Mullins joined the NSW Fire Brigades in 1978, having been a volunteer bushfire fighter since 1972.  After serving in all ranks, he was the Blue Mountains, then Sydney Region, Bushfire Hazard Reduction Officer.  In July 1996, he was appointed to the rank of Assistant Commissioner, and in July 2003 he became the first fire officer in the 121-year history of the NSW Fire Brigades to be appointed as both Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive Officer.  In 2005, Commissioner Mullins was invited to Ireland to address the International Fire Science Conference on bushfires and global warming.  He is the Chair of the State Emergency Management Committee and Deputy President of the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities' Council.

Commissioner Mullins holds a Masters Degree in Management, and is a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers and Australian Institute of Management.  He is also a Churchill Fellow.  In 2002, he completed the Executive Fire Officer Program at the United States Fire Academy.  Commissioner Mullins has been awarded the Australian Fire Service Medal, National Medal and 2 Clasps, Commendation for Courageous Action, and St Johns Ambulance Emergency Services Award.

Paul Orton

Director, Policy and Advocacy at NSW Business Chamber

Paul Orton is the director of policy and advocacy for the NSW Business Chamber.  He has experience dealing with public policy for issues affecting business competitiveness including workforce skills, workplace relations, economics, industry and sustainability issues.  He also has expertise providing workplace relations advice and defence industry development services.  

Mr Orton has a background in general management, public policy development, public affairs and economics.  Before joining NSW Business Chamber,  Mr Orton worked in business development with a major bank, in communications with a NSW Government Department, as a policy advisor at the then NSW Cabinet Office and in Ministerial offices. He has economics and accounting qualifications.

Professor Andy Pitman

Co-Director, Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales

Andy Pitman is a Professor in atmospheric science and co-director of the Climate Change Research Centre at the University of New South Wales.  His expertise is in climate modelling, with broad interests extending across climate change, climate impacts and land cover change.

Professor Pitman was a lead author of the third and fourth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports.  He is on the science steering committees of major committees of the World Climate Research Program and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program.  He is the convenor of the ARC Research Network for Earth System Science.  He is a member of the advisory board of Risk Frontiers - an industry-funded centre that explores questions of climate, volcanic and hydrological risk for the insurance industry.

Adam Spencer

Broadcaster, ABC Radio

Adam Spencer is a broadcaster with ABC Radio.  He has extensive experience working on various boards and authorities.  He serves on the Senate of the University of Sydney and the NSW Health Department's Clinical Ethics Review Committee, as well as being an ambassador for the Fred Hollows Foundation and helping out with numerous charities.

Mr Spencer's career covers a wide variety of disciplines.  A consummate learner, Mr Spencer started a university arts/law degree that led to a first class honours degree in pure mathematics.  He also has an immense interest in science.  These passions led him to host Quantum and FAQ on ABC TV from 1998-2001.  In addition, he and Dr Karl Kruszelnicki made their Sleek Geek Tour (a feature of Science Week) into a television series that was broadcast on ABC TV in 2008.

Dr Lorraine Stephenson

Principal Consultant, Lightning Consulting Services

Dr Lorraine Stephenson has over 25 years' experience in the energy sector and in 2008 joined Ernst & Young as a Partner and Oceania Climate Change Leader where she worked until July 2010.  Dr Stephenson has been an active participant in the development of climate change policy in Australia since 1998 and has been involved in a wide range of international meetings.  She has attended United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 'Conference of Parties' meetings since 2000, is an active member of the International Emissions Trading Association and has participated at the European Carbon Expos since 2005.  In March 2009, Dr Stephenson was invited to join a group of experts for the Forest Carbon Finance Summit in Washington DC.

Within Australia, Dr Stephenson was a participant at the 2020 Summit in April 2008.  She is a former member of the NSW Premier's Greenhouse Advisory Panel and has been a member of a range of industry association committees on climate change.

In her consulting work, Dr Stephenson specialises in climate change policy and emissions trading, business strategy and risk management, and energy market development, including low emission technologies.